


training gone wrong

by blindinglights



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Noctis Lucis Caelum, M/M, just mild angst though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26325214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blindinglights/pseuds/blindinglights
Summary: It was supposed to be the usual training. The typical Saturday afternoon training that Noctis absolutely hates, but does anyway because he has to, and today is no different. They’re busy practicing blocking, their wooden swords hitting together at every swing and it’s going just fine. It’s when they put away the swords and instead start training in hand to hand that it all messes up.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	training gone wrong

**Author's Note:**

> my goal is to write for every chocobros pairing. so far i've posted promptis and ot4 and i'm working on a (potentially long) promptio college au. so all that's left is gladnoct, gladnis, ignoct, and promnis. so here's some gladnoct! thank you to tori for the prompt!

It was supposed to be the usual training. The typical Saturday afternoon training that Noctis absolutely hates, but does anyway because he has to, and today is no different. They’re busy practicing blocking, their wooden swords hitting together at every swing and it’s going just fine. It’s when they put away the swords and instead start training in hand to hand that it all messes up. 

Gladio goes to sweep Noctis off his feet and he fully expects Noctis to warp out of it, like he’s been told to. Watch out for your opponent, warp out if you get tossed or kicked off your feet, and get away before anything else happens. Noctis has a dagger in his hand, so he can. But when Glado kicks a leg underneath Noctis, starts tossing him onto his back, Noctis goes down hard and lands wrong on his arm. The painful crunch of his arm breaking is deafening in the training room, and Gladio stands there horrified as Noctis screams out in pain.

Gladio stays there, rooted in the spot in absolute horror, because that’s not what was meant to happen. He watches as a few glaives rush over to help the prince up, and Gladio can’t seem to get himself moving at all. He knows the routine with broken bones; Noctis has to get it set, has to have a potion, and then he’ll still be in a sling for at least a few weeks. He’ll need something for the pain too. Gladio remembers the first time he broke a bone, back when he was much younger and initially training to become a shield. His father had held him, had told him it’d be okay and that he knew how much it hurt, but had gotten him taken care. Gladio can’t seem to do that, though, and he feels like such a failure.

How is he meant to guard the future king if he can’t even get his feet working to even comfort him? How is he meant to be a shield when he didn’t even pay enough attention that Noctis did not warp out in time, that he should’ve never tried what he did? It was stupid and irresponsible, and he’ll probably hear it all from his dad later. 

He manages to snap out of it a few minutes later, when he feels a hand on his shoulder. When he looks behind himself, it’s to see Cor staring over at Noctis, his expression unreadable. He fully expects for Cor to start telling him off, but instead Cor just says, “Go with them, be by his side.” 

Gladio nods. He starts to follow the glaives out until he stops them and decides to carry Noctis all the way to the infirmary wing of the citadel himself. He passes by Ignis on the way there, but doesn’t pay mind to the look on his face. Doesn’t want to see whatever might be there. Disappointment, most likely. Even if there’s no way for Ignis to even know what’s happened yet, but then again he knows good and well that Ignis is smart enough to put the pieces together on his own that quickly. One look at them, and he knows Ignis is aware of it, aware of how much Gladio fucked up.

Gladio moves quickly through the halls until he makes it to the infirmary. Once in there, a nurse quickly ushers him to a room, where he’s able to finally set Noctis down. Noctis has been quiet the whole way there, with his hand clutching at Gladio’s tank top. When he sets Noctis down, Noctis reaches out for him and says, “Stay.” 

Gladio doesn’t feel like he’s earned the right to stay. He’s good at saying no to Noctis when Noctis begs him to cancel training or when Noctis wants him to cave on literally anything else. But when it comes to stuff like this, when Noctis merely asks for affection when he’s hurt or not feeling well or just wants to cuddle, Gladio can never manage to say no. It’s hard to, when Noctis looks the way he does, with pain clouding over his eyes and his hand clutching so tightly to Gladio’s as if Gladio is his lifeline. 

So Gladio pulls up a chair to the bed and keeps holding Noctis’ hand, while nurses start fussing over him. They manage to fix up his broken arm relatively quickly. Or maybe time just seems to go by faster in here. Gladio gets lost in thought as they work, the feeling of Noctis gripping tighter to his hand the only thing that periodically brings him back. 

He listens as the nurses tell Noctis what to do and how long he’ll be wearing the brace on his arm. They won’t be able to train for at least three weeks while it properly heals, because as they say, the potion helps but it’s not a cure all. There will be pain, and it’s best not to push that. Gladio hates himself more, because this is just preventing Noctis from doing what he needs to do. His dad’s going to be pissed, and with good reason. 

They get Ignis to drive them to Noctis’ place. Gladio hesitates for all of a minute before he gets out of the car and follows Noctis up to his apartment. He doesn’t think he has the right to be here, after he’s hurt him. For all intents and purposes, he should be back at the citadel and reporting to his father on what happened. But instead he follows Noctis into the apartment and over to the couch. He stands there, staring down at Noctis, at the brace and the pain he’s in. 

He says, “Shit, Noct, I’m so sorry.” 

Noctis looks up at that, confusion written across his face. “It’s okay, Gladio.” 

“It’s not okay,” Gladio says. “Freakin’ Six, I’m supposed to protect you, not hurt you. And look what I did.” 

“It was just an accident.” 

“An accident I needed to prevent. What kind of shield does that make me if I let this happen?” A terrible shield, he knows. He doubts his father ever made mistakes like this. Gladio needs to be better and do better next time, because what if they’re traveling outside of the city walls? Gladio won’t be able to afford to have accidents like this again, not when it’d mean actual life or death.

“Accidents happen. I’m not mad at you. Nobody is going to be mad at you, and if they are, then they can come talk to me,” Noctis tells him. “One accident doesn’t mean you’re unable to be my shield.”

“But I hurt you,” Gladio says. “Noct, that shouldn’t have happened.”

“I’ll be fine,” Noctis tries to assure him. “It’s not like you were trying to kill me or anything. We just misjudged it. _I_ misjudged it, I should’ve warped, but didn’t. That’s on me.” 

Gladio wants to say _I feel like I failed you already_ but he’s never been good at voicing his feelings. Instead he says, “I’m still sorry.” 

Noctis smiles and gets up, stretching a little before pointing at where his bedroom door is cracked open. Gladio should head back to the citadel before his dad starts calling him, but instead he follows Noctis into the bedroom and watches as Noctis yawns wide before crawling into bed. Gladio crawls in after him and as soon as Gladio’s laying down, Noctis curls by his side, making sure to rest his hurt arm against Gladio’s chest.

“Stop beating yourself up,” Noctis tells him, already sounding like he’s so close to falling asleep. Gladio swears if Noctis had it his way he’d spend most of his days napping. But he figures they have had a long, eventful day already, and a nap might be good. 

Gladio presses a kiss against Noctis’ forehead. “Go to sleep.” 

Noctis smiles. “Sure, no problem, but first…” Noctis trails off, before leaning up to steal a quick kiss from Gladio. “Okay that’s much better.”

Noctis settles back down against his chest, and Gladio can’t help the smile on his face. In the next moment, Noctis is fast asleep, his breaths even. He lets out a quiet breath of a laugh at that. Leave it to Noctis to fall asleep at a drop of a hat. Gladio holds him tighter, and closes his own eyes. He’ll just take a nap with Noctis and deal with everything later. Maybe his dad will decide to go easy on him, or maybe there’s nothing to worry about except his own fears of failure. Whatever that may be, he’ll deal with it after a nap.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on twitter @fairestzack and tumblr @darkenednights


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